Ladybug! Ladybug! Fly away
home;
Your house is on fire, your children all gone;
All but one, and her name is Ann,
And she crept under the pudding pan.

The traditional poem above
is still repeated by children today, but many say it got it beginnings
in Medieval Folklore and referred to the burning of hops vines to clear
the fields after the harvest. The ladybugs would fly away, and the
larvae would crawl away, but the pupa would remain fastened to the vine
and burn.,

In Europe, during the Middle Ages, insects were destroying the crops, so
the Catholic farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. Soon the
Ladybugs came, ate the plant-destroying pests and saved the crops! The
farmers began calling the ladybugs "The Beetles of Our
Lady", and they eventually became known as "Lady
Beetles"! The red wings represented the Virgin's cloak and the
black spots represented her joys and sorrows.

In Sweden,
folks believe that if a ladybug lands on a young maiden's hand, she
will soon be getting married.

If you find a
ladybug in your house, count the number of spots and that is how
many dollars you will soon receive.

In England, finding a
ladybug means that you will have a good harvest.

In France, if you are
sick and a ladybug lands on you, when it flies away, it will take
the sickness with it.

If a ladybug has more
than seven spots, then there will be a famine. If it has less than
seven, then there will be a good harvest.

At one time, doctors
would mash up ladybugs and put them in a cavity to cure a toothache.

Some people believe that
the number of spots on a ladybug indicates how many children you
will have.

If you find a ladybug in
your house in the winter you will have good luck.